Anniversary
by Celinarose
Summary: Cho has a surprise for Harry on their anniversary.


Harry couldn't remember ever coming to this place before. It was certainly not how he had expected to celebrate his anniversary. But Cho had insisted, and he had yielded. She had told him there was some kind of surprise there for him, and so he had let himself be dragged along to this place.

It was an old derelict mansion, almost crumbling down to ruins. The full moon shining from above made the shambles of brick look even more eerie. Even Harry, who was used to fighting Death Eaters and magical beasts, was almost scared. Cho, however, seemed completely unperturbed. She grabbed his hand and tugged him along.

"Cho?" Harry called out, suddenly stopping amidst the stone path. She turned to look at him, surprised.

"Come on! We have to hurry!" she told him, tugging on his arm again. Her voice echoed in the empty gardens.

"Not until you tell me what this place is, at least," Harry replied, standing firm. Cho frowned. The shadows cast by the moonlight made her face look strange. Harry blinked to try to shake the uneasy feeling.

She laughed loudly in response to his question. Was he imagining it, or did her toe sound almost... _mocking_? No. Why would she be mocking him? He was being paranoid. It was this weird place, giving him the creeps.

"All right," Cho said, seeing he wouldn't budge unless she gave him an answer. "it's just the old Diggory place. They left the house after Cedric... They said it reminded them of him."

Harry frowned. Why had she brought him here? What kind of 'surprise' would she even have here anyway? Suddenly, his instinct told him to leave. He began to wonder if the surprise she had planned was even a pleasant one. For the first time in the two years when they had rekindled their romance, Harry began to doubt Cho.

She saw the change in his expression, and her own turned grim. "Are you afraid?" There was that tone again. _Mocking, lilting._

"N-No," Harry replied, wondering why he was lying to her.

"Come, then," she said, smiling again, and leading him forth with her. He followed as she walked through the old garden, overgrown with weeds and full of rubbish, and towards the door of the house itself. Despite the fact that it was rather broken down, it still seemed to tower over them. As she opened the creaky door, a raven crowed above them, flying out of the high towers. Harry felt the hairs at the back of his neck prickling. Out of habit, he turned back, only to find nothing discernable in the dim light. Well, almost nothing. _Was that a shadow, or did her see something move?_

He shook his head and walked inside with Cho. It was unlike him to be so on edge about something as simple as walking into an empty house. He really needed to get his act together. He told himself he was being silly.

The inside of the house, however was just as strange-looking as the outside. Cho lit her wand with a Lumos, lighting up the vast stone room that had been pitch black before. Harry looked around at the grey walls, shivering slightly. Suddenly, it felt freezing, almost as if there was a wind howling inside the walls of the building itself. _But,_ Harry told himself, _that was obviously impossible._

Cho seemed to know the way well enough, atleast. Harry wondered how that was. It was almost as if she had been there before, many times. Though of course she would have to have visited at least once, given that she had hidden his surprise there. He quietly followed her, his own wand glowing in front of him. Each footstep seemed to echo in the empty hall, creating a a strange, eerie sound.

They seemed to be heading for the spiral staircase at the far end of the room. Cho was walking quickly now, and he could see the light from her wand growing dimmer. Try as he might, he could catch up to her. He was running now, but she was far ahead, already halfway up the staircase.

"Catch up!" she called, looking down smilingly at him from the higher stairs. He frowned, climbing as quickly as he could, but despite his efforts her footsteps grew farther and fainter...until he couldn't hear them anymore.

"Cho?" he called out? The only response he got was the sound of his own voice, echoing back at him. He took a deep breath and leaned against the rails encircling the stairs. Every fibre of his being was screaming for him to run away from this dark place, but he knew he couldn't leave Cho alone.

And so he began to climb, the stairs creaking ominously with each step. There were windows all along, lighting his path somewhat dimly, but the trees waving in the fierce wind that had suddenly started up outside, were creating strange shadows on the stairs. Suddenly he realised he had been climbing for quite a while now, never seeming to get any further. That was rather odd.

The next thing that caught his notice was the soft piano music coming from upstairs. _Could that be Cho?_ Thinking thus, he doubled his pace as he climbed. The music seemed to be getting louder now. _Was that someone singing along to it?_ It was a soft, male voice, full of sadness. Harry was confused, but he kept going.

Suddenly, as he turned to the next flight of stairs, he found himself looking at a ghostly apparition. He nearly fell back in shock, and a small scream escaped his throat. The music was very loud now, pounding in his ears, and the figure in front of him was apparently the one singing. It's translucent, glowing lips moved in the repetition of a couple of lines of an old Muggle song Harry vaguely recognised.

 _One look relives the memory..._

 _Remember me?_

It took a few moments before it struck Harry who it was that was standing in front of him. He reeled in surprise.

"Cedric?" he asked, hestitantly. As soon as the word escaped his lips, he began to feel dizzy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he was standing in the old graveyard again. He was watching Voldemort kill Cedric. The song was replaying in his mind, however. _One look relives the memory._ He stood, helpless as he watched the blameless Hogwarts Champion die for the second time. It was like being in a terrible nightmare.

 _Remember me?_

He was back in the old mansion, staring breathlessly at Cedric. The latter was looking at him sadly, never once ceasing his song. A high, female voice joined him, harmonising with his words.

 _One look..._

 _Remember me?_

 _...relives the memory_

 _Remember me?_

Over and over they sang the lines, each time louder than the last, until Harry felt his head throbbing with the song and its echoes.

"STOP!" he cried out loudly, and they did. There was complete silence for a few moments, as Harry stared at Cedric's ghost, breathing heavily, and with eyes full of fear and regret. Then, he heard a laugh. Peal after peal of taunting laughter. It almost sounded like the a madwoman's chuckles. _But the voice sounded familiar...was it..._

"Cho?" Harry asked. The laughter stopped. Footsteps came down the stairs, the heels of her shoes making clicking sounds as she descended. As he came face to face with her when she stood beside Cedric, he wondered if she had always looked so pale or if it was just the moonlight. _Had her eyes always looked so crazed?_ He could not remember. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Why had she brought him here? Why was she doing this? He loved her. Why would she play such a cruel trick?

"Harry," she smiled, her voice not sounding like her own. It was distant, indifferent, almost. She had always spoken to him kindly, lovingly even, but never like this. "What day is it?"

Harry frowned at the question. _What could she mean?_ "Our-our anniversary?" he answered hesitantly.

She laughed again. Cedric laughed with her this time. It was unnerving, the duet of her high-pitched chuckles and his hollow ones.

"Self-centred, as always. How could you forget so easily?" Cedric asked, his tone changing to sorrowful. Harry stared in confusion, and swallowed nervously.

Cho looked at him with rage in her eyes. "We even sang a little song for you, to jog your memory. Tsk tsk, Harry."

"I...don't understand," Harry replied, softly.

Cho smiled sweetly, but her eyes betrayed her anger. "No, of course you don't. Sweet, innocent Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-At-The-Cost-Of-Others. Why would you remember after all? It's been ten years after all. Ten years since you killed Cedric on this day."

 _Ten years. Had it really been that long? The memory was still fresh in his mind...after all he had just seen the horrific scene again..._

"I didn't kill him. Voldemort did," Harry defended himself, knowing it was useless.

"I didn't love you. Ginny did," Cho countered with a smirk, mocking his tone. Harry felt the tears welling in his eyes. He had figured it out already, but it still hurt to hear her say it.

"Was it all a lie, then? _Everything?_ "

Cho didn't even flinch as she replied. "Yes. Did you really think I could love you? After you murdered Cedric? I always loved _him_. I always will. You little fool."

Harry let out a small, pained sob, falling to his knees.

"Ten years, I waited, for you. For _this,"_ Cedric said, approaching him. Harry found the ghost towering over him and shuddered. He took out his wand and aimed it at Cedric, his hands shaking.

"Stay away," he said, voice quivering.

Cedric laughed. "What will you do? Kill me again?"

Cho joined him. "There is nothing you can do now, Harry. No escape, no spells, no friends. The most famous wizard in Britain will pay for his sins here, tonight, and he will do it alone."

* * *

The neighbours of the old Diggory mansion had always complained about the weird sounds coming from that place. But that night, they heard the strangest sounds of all. Horrific shrieks. Terrible sobs.

And _her_ laughter.

* * *

 _ **Notes: For the Goth day Event at The Golden Snitch. Prompts: Harry Potter or Cedric Diggory, "One look relives the memory"**_

 _ **Also for the Through the Universe Challenge. Prompt: freezing**_

 _ **And for Ollivander's Wand shop:** **Red oak: Write about a character who participated in the Duelling Club.**_

 ** _School: Brinwell_**

 ** _House: Chepi_**

 ** _Name: Cel_**


End file.
